Pentagon Aims to Step Up Space Tracking Ability

"The Pentagon is trying to improve its ability to track the more than 8,000 satellites and objects flying through space, particularly those in low-Earth orbit and a potential threat to high-value spacecraft such as the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope," USA Today reports.

"A request by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) seeks proposals to 'design, develop and deploy sensors capable' of spotting objects in danger of falling toward Earth without advance notice of their orbital path."